The Passion of LeBron

NORTH CAROLINA (BASN) — Karl Marx once said, “Religion is the people’s opium.”

Therefore, I guess the pre-game powder tossing ritual by the former Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James wasn’t chalk after all. Because the city of Cleveland seemed to be under his spell for the last seven years.

The fans of Cleveland even showed their cult-like devotion to King James back on March 5, at a Cleveland Cavaliers game, when 25,000 of them wore Snuggies in order to break the Guinness World Record for the ‘largest gathering of people wearing the fleece blankets.’”

Yes, this was a very strange event. But LeBron James was worshiped as a god in the city of Cleveland. Why?

Because LeBron like all the ancient myths of the past, which we believe and worship as our religions today, was born without a father, raised by a single mother, exiled from his home, and had dreams of becoming a king.

To get a better understanding of image making, I suggest you read the Power of the Myth and Mythic Image by well-known scholar Joseph Campbell.

Because it’s the power of the myth that fuels and drives Hollywood, the world of sports and our own lives psychologically.

Don’t be surprised, it is an old African tradition and a custom based on the mythical stories of Osiris “Lord of the Perfect Black”, which appeared on the walls of the ancient pyramids in Egypt or Kemet “the land of the Blacks.” long before the story of Jesus.

The influence of Egyptian mythology can even be seen today in rappers Kanye West’s latest video and in his hit song titled Power, which he appears with a Horus hawk-head gold chain around his neck instead of the normal Jesus-piece.

In the song produced by West, he chants that “no one man should have that much power” while unapologetically saying, “In this white man’s world, we’re the chosen.”

Despite this hidden truth, West’s song was used to set off the NBA’s 2010 season opener on TNT between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, which of course starred LeBron James.

Why is this so important? Because James represents the myth of the Lion King, the myth of Heru, and the embodiment of Jesus Christ in the NBA.

I know this sounds blasphemous, but remember we are talking about the Power of the Myth and how LeBron is and has been marketed to the general public.

With that said, when you hear Kanye’s song playing in the background chanting, “No one man should have that much power….and in this white man’s world, we’re the Chosen.”

It all makes sense.

Let’s not forget, it was Sports Illustrated, who placed James on the cover of its magazine back in February of 2002 as a high-school senior and nicknamed him “The Chosen One.”

“The Chosen One” is obvious a Jesus Christ comparison.

Matter of fact, the whole “Witness” advertisement billboard with LeBron outstretched arms is a subtle yet symbolic image of him being a Christ-like figure to the people of Cleveland.

Even James new Glaceau vitamin water ad, which is called the “Chosen Water, “is another example of Lebron’s basketball holiness.

Let’s be honest, James is and was packaged and promoted to be the “Savior of basketball” and to most Cleveland Cavaliers’ basketball fans, he was.

Consider the fact, that when James was selected as the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Cavs in 2003, grown men cried as if he was Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.

In LeBron’s case, unfortunately, it wasn’t a donkey. It was a brand new Hummer. To those Christians reading this article don’t be offended. As I said before, we are talking about the magic of myth-making.

And for those conspiracy theorists, James’ best friend rapper and partial owner of the New Jersey Nets, Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z, surprisingly, is also known in the Hip-Hop world as J-Hova.

Therefore, if you combined the two of their names together, you surprisingly get….Jehovah Witness. And you know, what happens when the Jehovah Witness come knocking on your door.

We run and hide.

Maybe, this is one reason why LeBron did not sign with the Nets.

Some people, however, think LeBron will return to New Jersey (which is nicknamed New Jerusalem in the Hip-Hop community) after three years in Miami.

This is of course is simply a rumor and wishful thinking by some New Yorkers.

But I find it quite interesting, however, that before LeBron made his decision “to take his talents to South Beach,” even New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, tried to persuade him to come to the “Big Apple” .

The mayor even referenced the Bible during a campaign commercial when he said, “As the good book said, Lead us to the Promise Land and that’s a quote from the King James Version.”

What’s interesting about Bloomberg’s comments, however, is that he held on to his Old Testament “Jewish Tradition” by referencing Moses and not Jesus.

For those believers, remember they are a large segment of Jews, who do not believe in Jesus.

Despite this obvious fact, in the game of basketball, LeBron James, however, was or still is considered the “Second Coming” to Michael Jordan, who is considered by most to be the “God of Basketball.

Why?

Because LeBron, as the scriptures suggest, is suppose to sit on the right hand of the Father but the 7-year theory of James winning a NBA Championship like Jordan proved to be false.

The Seven Year Aventists of the NBA, however, said the prophecy was off three years, because James didn’t go to college like Jordan, so the prophecy of King James reigning on the top, would occur within ten years instead of seven.

As a result, with James teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, this prophecy probably will be fulfilled this season or within the next two.

But with LeBron’s early departure from Cleveland, he like the mythical Christ figure, has been nailed to the cross, persecuted by the courts or (should I say on the court), spit upon, cursed, and wished to die.

This, in fact, is the nature of the BEAST. The nature of the BUSINESS. And the nature of the MEDIA. But according to the good book in Luke 19:32-33, this is exactly what they’re supposed to do:

“For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked and spitefully handled and spitted on: And they shall curse him, and put him to death, and the third day he shall rise again.”

Let’s remember, Lebron did not commit any crime but he is treated worst than Ben Roethlisberger, who was accused of sexual misconduct.

Keep this scripture in mind, as you reminisce on how angry the fans reacted in pure hatred toward LeBron by burning his Cleveland Cavaliers jersey and owner Dan Gilbert’s remarks and claim to expose the “real Lebron” and the “self-appointed King.”

This last ugly scene completes the Lebron Christ-connection. Because the burning of James’ jersey was, in fact, a symbolic represention of James’ death.

But his decision to go to the Miami Heat represents his re-birth or resurrection like the Phoenix, a sacred bird of Egyptian mythology, fabled as coming every 500 years from the Desert of Arabia, to burn itself to ashes on the alter at Heliopolis, after which it would arise young and vigorous and more beautiful; hence, a symbol of immorality; a emblem of resurrection.

This is excellent symbolic analogy for the bearded LeBron, who is known to wear a roaring lion of Judah on his shirt.

Because during his new Nike commercial, Lebron, plays a construction worker driving a bulldozer, destroying the basketball court which is equivalent to the temple that scripture speaks of, as well as a poet, speaking in parables by reciting Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” in which he says:

You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise.